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Volunteer reflects on 19 years as guardian ad litem

Published: Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 19, 2013 at 4:14 p.m.

Loni Estes has spent nearly two decades lending her voice to children who need it. The 68-year-old Hendersonville resident has been volunteering as a guardian ad litem for 19 years.

April is National Guardian Ad Litem month, and Estes is passionate about the cause. The guardian ad litem program is made up of volunteers who are court-appointed officers tasked with investigating abuses of all kinds in regards to children in order give an unbiased assessment of the child's situation.

Guardians ad litem step into family situations regarding children for court cases and when the Department of Social Services requests them. For those who volunteer, it's not an easy job. It means working with mistreated children and broken homes.

The endings aren't always warm and cozy with families reuniting, but that's not what her job is supposed to be, Estes said. She is not a counselor who repairs families.

"Whatever happens in the end will be what's best for the child," she said.

Estes has seen every ending imaginable for families she's investigated. Children have been reunited with their families, been adopted or been placed in foster homes.

Estes is basically an investigator. She seeks an honest take on what is going on in a child's life. She writes reports and informs the judge overseeing the case. For her, it goes beyond just being an officer of the court.

"I came into it with my eyes wide open," Estes said. "I just fell in love with it."

Estes retired as an administrative assistant in Florida. She lived there and volunteered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation before moving to Hendersonville in the early 1990s.

"I just missed working with children," she said. "For some reason, I gravitate toward it."

Her guardian ad litem administrator, Michael Gilmore, is appreciative of that fact. It's not every day that he comes across a guardian who has been volunteering with the program for two decades.

"It's unusual that someone stays that long," Gilmore said.

For Estes, however, it's simply the children who keep her coming back. The children pull at her heart strings, and she invests time and energy into their lives. Recently, she was invited to the graduation of a kid who was impacted by her work.

Those are the things that keep her coming back. She isn't stonewalled by the sometimes tragic circumstances. She sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Estes hangs onto the fact that no matter what the outcome, the child will be better off.

And she's seen some horrible circumstances. She's been in homes with alcohol, drugs and broken bottles around the house and inside of the house, and situations where kids go to school dirty and hungry. She's been in homes that have been overwhelmed with dogs and cats and children are sleeping in filth.

Estes has seen children in their most downtrodden, vulnerable moments.

"Loni's the voice for the child," Gilmore said. "That's what our volunteers are."

And for nearly two decades, Estes' voice has boomed for hundreds of children. That voice won't be silenced anytime soon, she said.

She won't rest until whatever child she is dealing with is safe and secure in some form.

"That's what helps me stay," Estes said. "The ending for me is always the best situation for the child and I'll fight to the death if I have to."

<p>Loni Estes has spent nearly two decades lending her voice to children who need it. The 68-year-old Hendersonville resident has been volunteering as a guardian ad litem for 19 years.</p><p>April is National Guardian Ad Litem month, and Estes is passionate about the cause. The guardian ad litem program is made up of volunteers who are court-appointed officers tasked with investigating abuses of all kinds in regards to children in order give an unbiased assessment of the child's situation. </p><p>Guardians ad litem step into family situations regarding children for court cases and when the Department of Social Services requests them. For those who volunteer, it's not an easy job. It means working with mistreated children and broken homes. </p><p>The endings aren't always warm and cozy with families reuniting, but that's not what her job is supposed to be, Estes said. She is not a counselor who repairs families.</p><p>"Whatever happens in the end will be what's best for the child," she said. </p><p>Estes has seen every ending imaginable for families she's investigated. Children have been reunited with their families, been adopted or been placed in foster homes. </p><p>Estes is basically an investigator. She seeks an honest take on what is going on in a child's life. She writes reports and informs the judge overseeing the case. For her, it goes beyond just being an officer of the court. </p><p>"I came into it with my eyes wide open," Estes said. "I just fell in love with it."</p><p>Estes retired as an administrative assistant in Florida. She lived there and volunteered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation before moving to Hendersonville in the early 1990s. </p><p>"I just missed working with children," she said. "For some reason, I gravitate toward it."</p><p>Her guardian ad litem administrator, Michael Gilmore, is appreciative of that fact. It's not every day that he comes across a guardian who has been volunteering with the program for two decades.</p><p>"It's unusual that someone stays that long," Gilmore said. </p><p>For Estes, however, it's simply the children who keep her coming back. The children pull at her heart strings, and she invests time and energy into their lives. Recently, she was invited to the graduation of a kid who was impacted by her work. </p><p>Those are the things that keep her coming back. She isn't stonewalled by the sometimes tragic circumstances. She sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Estes hangs onto the fact that no matter what the outcome, the child will be better off.</p><p>And she's seen some horrible circumstances. She's been in homes with alcohol, drugs and broken bottles around the house and inside of the house, and situations where kids go to school dirty and hungry. She's been in homes that have been overwhelmed with dogs and cats and children are sleeping in filth. </p><p>Estes has seen children in their most downtrodden, vulnerable moments. </p><p>"Loni's the voice for the child," Gilmore said. "That's what our volunteers are."</p><p>And for nearly two decades, Estes' voice has boomed for hundreds of children. That voice won't be silenced anytime soon, she said.</p><p>She won't rest until whatever child she is dealing with is safe and secure in some form.</p><p>"That's what helps me stay," Estes said. "The ending for me is always the best situation for the child and I'll fight to the death if I have to."</p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>